A US Navy tanker has just been discovered after sinking almost 60 years ago off the coast of Hawaii.
Marine researchers were diving in the area when they suddenly came across the wreck about 80 feet underneath the surface of the water just outside Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.
The ship has been identified as the US Mission San Miguel which sunk in 1957 when it was on its way from Seattle to the Pacific island of Guam. All of the ship’s crew managed to survive, but the ship sunk when it hit the nearby reef and became stuck.
Three divers came across the wreck and said that it was a complete surprise when they literally turned around and saw the huge structure of the ship, the Fox News reports.
The US naval tanker was used during World War Two and the Korean War, and was used for transporting fuel for military equipment and vehicles. The Mission San Miguel had received many commendations for the missions it took part in before it sunk.
Naval tankers are a little celebrated part of war, yet they are vital to ensuring supply lines are maintained and can reach the places where they are needed.
Researchers are excited by the find, which lies within protected waters within the Papahanaumokuakea monument off Hawaii. Now that it has been located the entire wreck will be investigated, mapped and analysed on the floor of the ocean.